Coach Fred Mugerwa

The head coach of the national netball team, She Cranes, Fred Mugerwa has said the future of his team looks bright after they finished fifth in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Last Friday, the She Cranes wrote history when they defeated Africa’s top team South Africa 54-48 in a classification match to determine fifth and sixth team at the Games respectively.

It was a repeat of the 2018 edition of the Commonwealth Games when Uganda lost 53-42 to the South African team.

This was Uganda’s first victory against the SPAR Proteas making it a dream come true for coach Mugerwa’s side.

Going to the Games, the World Netball ranking as of 31st January 2022 put She Cranes 6th globally and 2nd on the African continent below South Africa. She Cranes earned this after finishing second in the African Netball Championship and winning the Africa Pent Series.

In the rankings that have been dominated by Australia and New Zealand, Uganda has 127 points, thirty points below their arch-rivals, South Africa. But a win against the Spar Proteas could guarantee a change later when the world netball ranks again.

According to the Uganda Netball Federation’s website, the team’s head coach Mugerwa said that the win against South Africa is just the beginning of the long-term effort to put Uganda among the best in the world. He believes that going forward as the team garner experience, they will be able to overcome even the world’s heavyweights.

For these particular games, eight players out of the 12 who travelled, were debutants, which puts She Cranes’ future in a safe place. Mugerwa also notes that this guarantees a bright future for She Cranes players who are young.

Coach Fred Mugerwa

Team Captain Peace Proscovia, who plays for Bartercard Surrey Storm in England, is also reading from the book with the coach. She said as the captain, she is proud of the young generation that is coming up and believes that Uganda is yet to benefit from them.

While several netball fanatics are excited about the step made by the She Cranes, Sarah Babirye Kityo, the chairperson of Uganda Netball Federation says it is just an indicator that She Cranes can become the best netball team in the world.